Profile / United Kingdom
Paula Smyton, BACP
United Kingdom
UK counsellor - relationships and emotional wellbeing
See online therapy options- Psychodynamic approach
- CBT techniques
- Relationship focus
About Paula
Paula Smyton is a UK counsellor with a BACP credential and around 10 years of practice in counselling, education and mental health settings. She works with people living with anxiety, low mood, relationship and family difficulties, stress, grief, trauma and other life changes. Paula also supports people facing issues around intimacy, eating and sleeping, anger, self-esteem and bipolar experience.
Her background includes psychodynamic and integrative practice alongside experience as a teacher. Paula describes many clients as having tried to manage on their own for a long time and feeling emotionally exhausted or overwhelmed by several issues at once. She aims to help people make sense of what has been happening and to reduce the sense of carrying difficult feelings alone.
In sessions Paula uses psychodynamic ideas to look at how past experiences and relationship patterns influence current thoughts and reactions. She also draws on person-centred and solution-focused methods, and uses techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy where these fit the work.
Practical conversation and reflection feature in her work. Paula helps people notice recurring patterns, understand emotional responses and try different ways of responding in daily life. She supports plans that are grounded in what a person can realistically try between sessions.
People do not need to arrive with ready-made goals. Paula helps set small, manageable steps and checks progress as therapy continues. She works with each person to agree the pace and focus of the sessions.
How Paula works online and approaches used
Paula uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and test different responses. CBT focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and is often used for anxiety, low mood, sleep and eating difficulties.She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which encourages noticing difficult thoughts without getting stuck and committing to actions that match personal values. ACT can help with coping in the face of painful feelings and making choices that matter to the individual.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Paula will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and decide together which methods to try. That collaborative step helps shape the plan and the techniques used in sessions.
The biography does not list specific online session formats, so please confirm which options are offered before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy around daily life, reduce travel time and offer quicker access from different locations. They can also allow shorter check-ins or audio-only meetings when that suits someone better. Many people find it straightforward to include therapy around work, childcare and other commitments when they arrange sessions online.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family issues, grief, trauma, eating and sleeping problems, anger, self-esteem, career concerns, bipolar experience and coping with life changes.
How does she apply CBT in sessions?
She uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques alongside other approaches to help notice unhelpful thoughts and habits and to try practical, step-by-step changes between sessions.
What is her professional background?
She has around 10 years of experience working across counselling services, education, mental health settings and private practice.
What credentials and location are listed?
Paula holds BACP accreditation and is based in the United Kingdom.
Which languages are supported and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English and she does accept international clients.
What session formats does she offer?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are sessions paid for?
Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A registration can be checked with the body that issued it.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.